Summary
Acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol oxidation, caused a dose-dependent linear increase in the induction of sister chromatid exchanges in lymphocytes from both Germans and Japanese. Japanese, possessing only aldehyde dehydrogenase II isozyme (ALDH I deficient phenotype) and showing adverse effects after alcohol ingestion, did not differ in SCE rates from Germans and Japanese possessing isozymes I and II. At acetaldehyde concentrations above 360 μM, a significant chromosome breaking effect and a definite delay in cell cycle events, as evaluated by the BdUrd labeling technique, was registered in all individuals. Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate showed no protective effect against acetaldehyde-induced SCE formation in our system. A 24-h extension of the normal culture period revealed significantly higher rates of SCE at acetaldehyde doses above 360 μM.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bregman A (1971) Cytogenetic effects of ethanol in human leukocyte cultures. Environ Mutagen Soc News 4:35–36
Cadotte M, Allard S, Verdy M (1973) Lack of effect of ethanol in vitro on human chromosomes. Ann Genet (Paris) 16:55–56
Gebhart E (1981) Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and structural chromosome aberration in mutagenicity testing (review article). Hum Genet 58:235–254
Goedde HW, Harada S, Agarwal DP (1979) Racial differences in alcohol sensitivity: a new hypothesis. Hum Genet 51:331–334
Goedde HW, Agarwal DP, Harada S (1980) Genetic studies on alcohol metabolizing enzymes: detection of isozymes in human hair roots. Enzyme 25:281–286
Goedde HW, Agarwal DP (1981) Alkoholmetabolisierende Enzyme. Eigenschaften, genetisch bedingte Heterogenität und Bedeutung für den Alkoholstoffwechsel des Menschen. J Clin Chem Clin Biochem 19:179–189
Harada S, Agarwal DP, Goedde HW (1981) Aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency as a cause of facial flushing reaction to alcohol in Japanese. Lancet ii:982
Harada S, Misawa S, Agarwal DP (1980) Liver alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase in the Japanese: isozyme variation and its possible role in alcohol intoxication. Am J Hum Genet 32:8–15
Kakuma S, Leevy CM, Frank O, Baker H (1981) Protection of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate against toxicity of acetaldehyde to hepatocytes. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 168:325–329
Korte A, Obe G (1981) Influence of chronic ethanol uptake and acute acetaldehyde treatment on the chromosomes of bone-marrow cells and peripheral lymphocytes of Chinese hamsters. Mutat Res 88: 389–395
Latt SA, Allen J, Bloom SE, Carrano A, Falke E, Kram D, Schneider E, Schreck R, Tice R, Whitfield B, Wolff S (1981) Sister chromatid exchanges: A report of the gene-tox program. Mutat Res 87:17–62
Meisner L, Inhorn S, Nielson P (1970) Mammal Chrom Newsl 11: 69–70, cited by Bregman (1971)
Obe G, Herha J (1975) Chromosomal damage in chronic alcohol users. Humangenetik 29:191–200
Obe G, Ristow H (1977) Acetaldehyde, but not ethanol, induces sister chromatid exchanges in Chinese hamster cells in vitro. Mutat Res 56:211–213
Perin A, Sessa A (1975) The role of acetaldehyde in the actions of ethanol. In: Lindros KO, Eriksson CJP (eds) Satellite Symposium, 6th Int Cong of Pharmacology. Finn Found Alcohol Stud 23:105
Perry P, Wolff S (1974) New Giemsa method for the differential staining of sister chromatids. Nature 251:156–158
Ristow H, Obe G (1978) Acetaldehyde induces crosslinks in DNA and causes sister chromatid exchanges in human cells. Mutat Res 58: 115–199
Schneider EL, Nakanishi Y, Lewis J, Sternberg H (1981) Simultaneous examination of sister chromatid exchanges and cell replication kinetics in tumor and normal cells in vivo. Cancer Res 41:4973–4975
Shiraishi Y, Yamamoto K, Sandberg AA (1979) Effects of caffeine on chromosome aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges induced by Mitomycin C in BrdU-labeled human chromosomes. Mutat Res 62:139–149
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work is part of the thesis of J. U. Böhlke for the Faculty of Medicine, Hamburg
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Böhlke, J.U., Singh, S. & Goedde, H.W. Cytogenetic effects of acetaldehyde in lymphocytes of Germans and Japanese: SCE, clastogenic activity, and cell cycle delay. Hum Genet 63, 285–289 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00284666
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00284666